Quantitative Angle Measurement of the Inclined Surface Crack Based on Laser Ultrasonics

To measure the angles of oblique surface cracks on a specimen, the method of using the time difference between the reflected and scattered waves generated by the interaction of the surface waves and the crack is proposed. Based on the reflection and scattering waves’ paths at the surface crack, an analytical equation that involves the crack depth, width, and inclined angle is developed. On the basis of establishing the ratio of width to depth, ∆t-φ curves and estimated error images without the width term can be analyzed in detail. The finite element simulation and experimental results for aluminum alloy samples show that a crack’s angle can be detected using the time difference method. The effects of the width term in the analytical equation on the estimated angles of the surface cracks are also verified. Measurement of the quantitative angle of inclined surface cracks is first regarded as a multiparameter inversion problem. The simulation and the experimental discussion of the interrelation between the depth, width, and angle of the inclined surface crack in this work are very meaningful for quantitative determination using laser ultrasound.